"Harvey, a former Sydney Morning Herald and AAP journalist, wrote a number of acclaimed non-fiction books about notorious Australian crimes.

They include Brothers in Arms, an account of the 1984 Milperra bikie massacre in Sydney; My Husband, My Killer, about the murder of Megan Kalajzich by her hotelier husband; and The Killer Next Door, about Sydney's so-called granny killer John Glover. All were co-authored with Lindsay Simpson.

In 2000 Harvey published The Ghost of Ludwig Gertsch, which led to a second inquest into the murder of the gay Sydney millionaire whose body had been found in the Blue Mountains 10 years earlier.

The case is in the hands of the public prosecutor following the coroner's recommendation that charges be laid.

Harvey's last book was Done Like a Dinner, a collection of stories about crimes hatched in restaurants, co-written with Jennifer Cooke."

Sandra was honoured last year with a life-time achievement award at the Ned Kelly's.